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Ciao Allured Loves!! 

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I hope you all have been having an amazing Spring Season filled with lots of days soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the beautiful weather.

I also hope your Spring breaks have included some great travel adventures and excursions. I myself, just got back from celebrating my Husband's Big Year of 50 in Italy, indulging in good food & gelato, lots of limoncello spritz, gorgeous views of the Mediterranean / Italian coastline and all things La Dolce Vita.

Ya'll already know in true Tachic fashion,

I'm going to tell ya'll all about it...

But before we dive into my latest amazing Italian trip, let's go back a little earlier into the season. So, Spring was quite busy for me. At the start of the season or actually right before the season officially began...I was in the midst of planning & creating exclusive quarterly content for everyone that's signed up on my 2025 group trip to Florence, Italy - making sure I keep them all abreast of important dates and details.

Simultaneously, I was preparing to come to a stopping point on a big client project, which I'd been working on since Summer of last year. The project is currently on hold until further notice. Once my client is ready and the green light is given, we can then move forward with the final completion of the lighting design plan I created, which includes the installation of updating ceiling fans, flush mounts, kitchen pendants and chandeliers.

In addition, I'd filmed a Spring segment on Great Day Louisiana that was all about helping you all with inspiring ways to spruce up your home for the Spring Season. I definitely hope that segment aided you all in many ways. And, just in case you missed it, click here.

While working on all of that, I was also working alongside of my personal travel agent to get all of the details together for my Husband's birthday trip. And, I have to tell ya'll...this trip was yet another one for the books!!

So let's dive in, shall we? I think we finally shall.

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**Some images in this newsletter are pulled from Google Images**

So two years ago, many of you might recall my Husband and I celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary with a big trip to Italy touring various regions of the country in Spring of 2022. We promised ourselves that after first visiting Italy for our honeymoon in 2012, we'd make our way back to the land of Italia either by or before our ten year mark. Thanks be to God, we were able to keep our promise and experienced one of the best trips to Italy we'd ever had.

I shared that entire experience with you all in what became my first ever travel edition newsletter. To date, it's also one of my more popular newsletters that alongside of my web series, inspired me to launch my upcoming group trip. More on that later...

Also, if you're new to the Allured By Design® family and would like to catch up on that particular newsletter, click here.

The Spring 2022 trip to Italy was such a moment in time. I remember my Husband and I coming home soooooo fulfilled with happiness and glee. If I could bottle up that moment and those feelings...and take a shot of it every single morning, I would. That's how amazing that trip was. We knew immediately upon our return, that we'd never let another decade go by to make it back to Italy.

So we decided right away that Italy would be our repeat destination to visit in the Mediterranean. Now pretty much anywhere in the Mediterranean, in general is our favorite travel destination. But Italy for us had become our adult Disneyworld, our jubilee and our happy place. So, I started getting heavy into research with all of the regions my Husband and I desired to visit of the twenty different regions all throughout Italy.

As we discussed the regions we most wanted to tour, I started pre-assigning years that we may possibly execute each of these trips. Italy is a big country and it's impossible to see every region in one visit. And, although we didn't have a desire to visit all twenty regions, we definitely had quite the list of regions, cities, historical sites, beaches and coastal areas in Italy we desired to see and experience for ourselves.

And, one or two visits wasn't going to cut it. So we committed ourselves to manifesting Italy as part of our frequent vacation life. In addition, we also had and still have a desire to one day purchase vacation property in Italy. That's just how committed we are to living the La Dolce Vita lifestyle known in Italy as "The Sweet Life."

And, my goodness the sweet life we most definitely desired to experience over and over again. But of all the regions I started mapping out and pre-assigning years to...I left one area unassigned. That particular destination would be none other, than Sicily.

I knew Sicily would be more of a "roots" trip for my Husband, with his paternal family roots and our last name “PIAZZA” tracing all the way back to Palermo, the capital city of Sicily. So I left it to him to determine when he wanted us to visit his ancestral home.

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 From high-altitude regions sharing borders with the likes of France and Switzerland in the north, to sun-drenched sea villages dotted along the wild coastlines of the south, one could spend an entire lifetime exploring Italy and still have only just gotten started.

A country informed by its impassioned people, arresting landscapes, ancient history, and about a million other things. Italy is an intensely rich tapestry of culture. Ernest Hemingway put it best when he wrote: “We only half live over here. The Italians live all the way.” Indeed, la dolce vita imbues just about everything in Italy, with tourists flocking to all corners of the country to bask in the afterglow of their immersive slow living.

The above excerpt is shared from an online article printed in

Vogue World Paris and written by Nicole Kliest. To view the full and complete article, click here.

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Now, my Husband isn’t big on celebrating his birthday. A nice ambiance and a delicious meal is pretty much all he ever wants. Unless of course, a new car because he’s a sports car kind of guy and performance vehicles are totally his thing. However, no big parties or loads of people. That’s all me for sure!! But, that’s not his style at all. However, I told him…we have to celebrate your 50th Birthday, Babe!!

You continue to thrive in your career and you’ve accomplished so much in your fifty years of living (in spite of many challenges) with still so much left to accomplish. A small dinner isn’t enough. We can do that…but I need you to think and dream bigger.

Surprisingly, my Husband answered back and said...

"Well, for my 50th let's finally go to SICILY!!!

Let's go to the ancestral land of where some of my family is from."

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He didn't have to twist my arm at all to head back to Italy, but my main concern was the fact that we'd be right back in Italy for my group trip in 2025, to which I reminded him. To which he responded...

"AND? I thought we'd committed ourselves to visiting our happy place as much as possible. Plus you told me to dream big. So this is me dreaming and wanting to do it big in honor of my fifty years of living."

Well, I couldn't argue with that because he was absolutely right. So from there, I had my marching orders and the planning officially commenced.

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"To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything.”

So wrote Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, after visiting the island in 1787.

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I remember reading the above quote a good year to two years in advance of our trip. I immediately saved it, as it would become the base, the reference point and even the connective tissue for all that I hoped my Husband and I would experience on his 50th birthday trip to not only Italy but to his ancestral home of Sicily.

When we very first spoke of this trip it was shortly after our return home from our 2022 trip to Italy. As I mentioned earlier, the 2022 trip had us so pumped, excited and filled with glee that we knew we wanted to experience that over and over for the rest of our lives. But as we got into the thick of mapping out which regions in Italy we'd visit...I realized that in two more years my Husband would be turning the big 50.

So although we were two years out from his birthday at the time, I thought it best to prepare myself emotionally, mentally and financially for whatever lavish plans my Husband wanted to do for his big milestone. Common sense tapped in and told me don't get so caught up into planning trips that neither of you leave no room for whatever expensive car purchase your Husband has in mind for his 50th birthday.

I figured a two-year lead would likely be the amount of time we'd need to prepare our pockets.

Again, I really thought a new sports or super car would likely be what my Husband would want because that's his usual desire. But when he made it clear that a trip to Sicily was his actual desire for his 50th birthday, we both mutually agreed that although his actual birth date is in late January...we'd work to execute the trip in late Spring 2024, which is our preferred time of year to be in Europe.

In particular, late Spring is our preferred time of year to be in the Mediterranean due to the weather being really nice, cool, breezy and full of sunshine. The Summer months of June and July are just too hot and unbearable, especially for many outdoor excursions. So we always do our best to travel to the Mediterranean, particularly to Italy or Greece in late April or early to mid-May. And, we do our best to be gone by or before late May.

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At some point, I'm sure with my future group trips, a June trip may happen somewhere down the line. But please know it is my intent to not make that a reoccurring thing at all.

Once it was settled that Sicily would indeed be our next trip to Italy, ahead of my group trip to Florence...the feeling of excitement and early planning began. One of the very first things my Husband and I discussed was what would an ideal trip to Sicily look like for us?

What all did we want to see?

What did we want to do?

Where all did we want to go?

And, how long would we stay?

We knew Palermo would be our base, but in addition to Palermo...there was so much more to soak our feet into. With Sicily being the largest island in the entire Mediterranean, there was much to figure out, discover and plan. But first and foremost, before we could get too heavy into planning the day to day activities...

Our lodgings of course was of utmost importance!! After having experienced what it's like to stay in a Rocco Forte boutique hotel during our last trip to Italy and staying in their Hotel De La Ville property in Rome...We knew immediately the minute we found out Rocco Forte had acquired the legendary and noble Sicilian Florio family hotel, Villa Igiea...

It would be our only choice of hotel to lodge in during our time in Palermo. I remember when Rocco Forte first debuted a sneak peek into the renovations they'd done to Villa Igiea on their website. I was immediately drawn in and knew right away that whenever Charlie and I would visit Sicily, this would without a doubt be where we'd stay.

I remember being so mesmerized by the visuals, the music, the architecture, the design, the antiquity and the overall ambiance. I was sold right away!! Villa Igiea itself seemed to capture everything that embodied all I'd known or read about Sicily. It was exotic and rugged, yet refined in its beauty, alluring and exuberant.

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As I read through the story and history of Villa Igiea and how for decades it was once the hotel property that royal and noble families all over the world came to visit or were hosted at during their travels to Palermo...Or, the more I dived deeper into all of the design details of the hotel...it didn't take long at all for me to email our travel agent and inform her that Villa Igiea is where we desired to stay.

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ROCCO FORTE BRAND HOTELS

Because this would be our 2nd time staying at a Rocco Forte Hotel property, thankfully my Husband and I were kindly remembered by the Rocco Forte rep. In addition to the amenities we usually get as VIP travel guest through our travel agent...I was also able to secure a brand partnership with them to review their property, which of course, I was more than happy to do.

When we were officially one year out from our trip, we were told that due to Villa Igiea's popularity and also due to the sudden mass interest in Sicily by many travelers thanks to Season 2 of White Lotus (which filmed the entire season in Sicily), we needed to reserve our hotel as far out in advance as possible. We happily obliged and moved forward with our booking, even not having our official itinerary and agenda put together at all.

One might ask is it smart to book or reserve a hotel so far in advance? Or, is it smart to book lodgings even not having an official agenda together? My answer will always be yes!!

But, why?

Well of course, I'm so happy you asked. Every so often, people tend to ask me travel questions. I imagine travel related questions will become more frequent, as my group trips get underway and however I can aid I will. Well of course within reason. But to get back on topic...

Hotel reservations can always be amended as you get closer to your trip, or as your itinerary shapes up. For international travel in particular, I'd advise to reserve and lock in the current lowest rate you're offered as soon as possible, because the closer it gets to your trip...best believe those rates will increase.

Also, I'd advise when booking your hotel so far out in advance, to make reservations for as long as you believe you'll be there. Trust me when I tell you embellishment goes a long way here!! For example, even if you think you'll only be at the hotel for a few days, reserve it for at least a good week. Why? Because you can always decrease the amount of days you'll actually be there with no penalty as long as you make changes within the time period the hotel allows. All hotels both domestic and international have varying rules on changes or cancellations.

The general rule is cancellations can be made up to either two weeks or two days prior to arrival. By then, one should be pretty firm with all of their travel arrangements, including finalized itinerary and flights already booked. Also, reserving as many days as possible at the current lower rate comes in handy here when booking so far out in advance.

If you book too few of days and realize later as you get into the thick of travel planning that you need to extend your hotel lodging dates, you run the high risk of either...

• Losing your current locked in rate, meaning the dates already locked in are good to go at the current rate. But the extended dates will be sold to you at a much higher rate.

• You also run the risk of availability. Just because you need to extend your dates at a hotel doesn't always mean the hotel will have the availability to do so at the last minute. Your current booking will stand but if they're sold out on dates you need to extend, that will obviously be a huge alter to your plans.  

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 So my advice is to always, always, always whenever reserving your hotel booking far in advance...book or block out as many days as possible. At the very least seven days or more because it's easy to subtract days from your reservation with no penalty. Adding days or extending your hotel stay especially at a popular hotel establishment during peak travel time can prove far more challenging and costly.

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Once our hotels were officially booked both Villa Igiea and Hotel Savoy, which is also a Rocco Forte property in Florence...we then started building out our itinerary. For me that meant, the real work began. The translation of that basically means the heavy lifting was up to me and our travel agent, while my Husband only needed to pack when it was time to do so and get ready to depart on an amazing birthday celebration.

I swear sometimes it's so easy to be Charlie, lol. Especially when you're married to a woman as detail-oriented as myself and also a woman who actually enjoys the minutia of travel planning. For me, the art of effective travel planning is like one big puzzle with a thousand different pieces.

Together my travel agent and I start from scratch building everything out and putting all of the puzzle pieces together in motion. We connect every piece in the best order that makes the most sense for our time and budget. From our hotels, to our flights, our city transfers by train, daily activities & excursions, car service and ground transportation to and from the airports, ground transportation to and from any speciality locations, etc...I thoroughly love the planning of it all!! And, I love even more seeing it all come together piece by piece.

Once it's all finalized on paper, booked, reserved and paid for...It's just such a feeling of accomplishment I feel each and every time working with our travel agent. Knowing that every minute, every hour of everything on our final and approved itinerary has been specially and exclusively curated.

The final curation is not only a big complete puzzle but more of an art piece or a masterpiece with so much attention to detail for me and my Husband. And, knowing that this beautiful, well planned trip itinerary has had every ounce of my attention and involvement really just makes me smile. It brings me joy and simultaneously makes me feel very relieved that it's finally all done.

Feel free to call me weird, because I know most don't care for being involved in managing or coordinating minutia. But when you think about it, so much of travel planning is very similar to the design process, which involves a wealth of managing all of the minutia and logistics involved to create and execute the final overall design. It's probably one of the reasons I love it so much because I see the comparisons or similarities in both travel planning and design.

It's the reason I've enjoyed curating an amazing itinerary for my upcoming group trip next year. It's the reason I truly love the process of design (even amidst the challenging moments)...

I deeply love to see it all come together in the end. It's the reason I love to create, produce, write and craft stories and creative projects.

It's always, always about the journey from start to finish. All of the in between moments, the smallest of details and the hard work it took to get from point A to B.

It's what makes it all worth it. The thrill, the adrenaline, the rush...

But yeah...it's a complete feeling of accomplishment and I love it!!

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SO WHERE DID WE GO?

This trip was shorter than our usual fourteen to sixteen day trip. We cut it down to eleven days total, which equated to nine days on the ground in Italy and two travel days to and from. Considering we'll be right back in Italy next year in May 2025 for my group trip, we realized it may not be necessary to stay as lengthy as we usually would. At least not this time around.

In addition, my Husband had work projects he needed to get back to. So eleven became the lucky number and boy did I make sure to plan the best birthday trip ever for my Husband!! Albeit, the best trip I could plan with the nine days on the ground we had.

Palermo was our base for the first five days of the trip. From Palermo we took day trips to other parts of the island of Sicily, touring and exploring the following...

SICILIA / SICILY 
•Palermo
•Segesta
•Erice
•Trapani
•Taormina

•Mondello Beach

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This trip was indeed an appetizer of Sicily. Just a nice, scrumptious taste of it that definitely left our mouths watering for more. We didn't really have hardcore expectations of Sicily. But it quickly and surprisingly became the island that stole our hearts. We'd heard and read mixed reviews from various travel bloggers and vloggers who've all documented their trips to the island. Most were amazing reviews with a few that spoke of the dirt, grime and grittiness of Sicily (particularly in Palermo) that could be off putting for some.

But here's the thing...

Most of us whenever we travel, we all desire to live and travel in luxury the entire time of our vacation. Especially when our monies are paying for it. But as you get out and explore any town, any city, any state or any country...you're bound to see not only the luxurious parts but also the most gritty and non-luxury parts. That's called real life!! That's called a city that has history and experiences of the past. And, from my perspective...the real life grit and grime all adds to the character and makeup of any location.

My hometown of New Orleans is one of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in America. We're very distinct in our early French beginnings and Creole charm, our European and African history and influence and extremely proud of our culture and food.

But as beautiful and colorful of a city as we are...there's also no hiding our dirty and gritty parts. It comes along with the territory of everything that makes us the city that we are. I believe the same is the case for most places in this world, including Sicily.

After all, Sicily is an ancient island that's been conquered by numerous different tribes and civilizations, including the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, the Phoenicians, the Moors, the Spaniards, etc...

It's safe to say the island has seen more than its fair share of different rulers and conquerers and many battles and wars with visible scars still left to date to prove it. But the island has also seen the beauty that each civilization, each group of people and its former Kings and Queens brought to its shores...leaving such a myriad of a diversified culture. An eclectic mix of design, food, language, art, architecture, and lifestyle all woven into a beautiful tapestry of Sicilian culture.

Five days on the island wasn't nearly long enough. We barely touched the surface. But the very surface we did touch, I'm so thankful to God and happy for the chance to see, touch, taste, hear and smell.

We eagerly await the next opportunity to further indulge beyond our appetizer round and onto a first, second and third course.  

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PALERMO

Yet, in the meantime...we savor the succulent taste this appetizer trip to Sicily provided us. Our Highlights & Hidden Gems walking tour of old town Palermo provided us with such an amazing history of the capital city. The tour was guided by a native Sicilian from Palermo by the name of Michelangelo. This gave us a real life opportunity to connect in a way that we probably wouldn't have been able to had we done this tour on our own without the guidance of a native.

It was in old town Palermo, I tried my very first Sicilian granita and delighted in the sweet frozen treat that's served with a brioche bun.

SEGESTA

Charlie and I hiked the hills and mountains of Segesta to see the ancient Greek style ruins built by the Elymians, one of the first indigenous Sicilians that are said to have come to Sicily by way of Troy. We took in the beauty of what they built, what's left of it and also the views from where they built.

ERICE

We walked the uphill climb in a charming medieval town called Erice pronounced EREECH-CHEY. There I had my very first Sicilian arancina in the flavor of ragu. Because when in Sicily, do as the Sicilians do. And, not indulging in an arancina (rice ball) would simply be un-Sicilian.

TRAPANI

In Trapani, we saw the historic salt pans. However it was a very brief visit due to us being behind on our scheduled tour. So, Trapani is definitely a city in Sicily we'd need to experience again to get a much better feel for it.

TAORMINA

In Taormina, we were completely allured by the beauty and charm of this gorgeous resort town built high into the mountains. Like the rest of the world, I watched Season 2 of White Lotus and knew immediately that Taormina would be added to our itinerary as a place to visit in Sicily.

White Lotus captured the beauty of Taormina in such a way that would only make one desire to see it's beauty in real life. Even amidst of the sprinkled showers of rain that came down on us for a brief period during our day trip to Taormina, the beauty of the town was still ever present. In so many ways Taormina reminded me of the Amalfi Coast. Or, moreso of the Isle of Capri, which is the beautiful gem of the Amalfi Coast.

Taormina is indeed one of the beautiful gems of Sicily.

We walked the main strip of Corso Umberto taking in all of the sights, delighting in each boutique, restaurant and every gorgeous window display we came across. We stopped at the world famous Taormina square, Piazza IX Aprile to have our moment of gratitude and be thankful to God for allowing some sunshine to finally break through the rain clouds.

We took in the awe of the moment of seeing with our very own eyes the ancient Greek Amphitheater of Taormina that still holds concerts and live shows to date.

We thoroughly enjoyed a lunch break and our afternoon aperitivo spritz on the outdoor patio of the Grand Timeo Hotel, which boasts some of the most gorgeous and alluring views of Taormina.

We took time to walk the public garden known as

Villa Comunale di Taormina and further indulge in the beauty of this town. It was there that it all finally started making sense the things I'd read and heard about Taormina. Things like...

“Were a man to spend only one day in Sicily and ask, “What must one see?” I would answer him without hesitation, “Taormina.” It is only a landscape, but a landscape where you find everything on earth that seems made to seduce the eyes, the mind and the imagination.”
- Guy de Maupassant, Sicily

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IT ALL CIRCLES BACK TO PALERMO... 

MONDELLO BEACH

Of all the places we visited and explored in this appetizer trip to Sicily...Palermo remained the beating heart of our joy. On our final day in Palermo, we took some much needed time from our highly active, yet equally amazing itinerary to simply enjoy a day out on the water.

Typically, I always build at the very least one rest and relaxation day into any trip itinerary for me and my Husband. Notice I said trip and not vacation. Vacations in my opinion are spent lounging, resting and relaxing. Trips on the other hand are filled with a wide variety of exploration, activities and excursions.

Charlie and I definitely tend to take more trips than vacations, lol. Perhaps in our golden years we'll do more of the latter. But as long as we're young and healthy, we plan on tripping to as many continents and countries as the good Lord will allow us to.

But as I was saying, even with our very active trips...I know all too well that our bodies always need at least one free day to relax and unwind without an aggressive agenda. And, if possible, I try my best to build at least one free relaxing day into our itinerary per each host city.

Every single day spent in Sicily was my favorite!! But without a doubt, our final day spent out on the water was the perfect way to bookmark not only our time in Sicily but a most amazing experience in Palermo. After dealing with some rain and chilly air in Taormina the day before...

God gave us clear, beautiful blue skies filled with sunshine as we set out to cruise the Palermo coast and also visit Mondello Beach. I cannot express enough how much my Husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this Half Day Private Boat Tour!! It was absolutely everything and more!!

For four to five hours, Charlie and I were in complete bliss being out on the water, which was soooooo gorgeous and turquoise. We had the most amazing Sicilian Skipper by the name of Sergio who was nothing but hospitable and charming and truly took pride in showing us the beauty of the Palermo coast.

Not only was Sergio a wonderful host but also his first mate, Julianna who served as an English translator for Sergio who only spoke Italian. While my Husband does speak Italian and I myself speak very little Italian, English is still our native tongue. So having Julianna on board was extremely helpful. In addition, she was just as charming as Sergio.

The two of them together as a team made our entire time out on the water even more special. They fed us and provided us with afternoon drinks, an aperitivo of course. The scenery and the setting was so beautiful. I just remember being very thankful in that moment for being able to have experiences like that.

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My body felt so relaxed as we cruised the Palermo Coast, I remember drifting off for a quick nap as my Husband rubbed my feet. Again, it was pure bliss. It was also the first time I'd ever booked a private boat tour for us. We always book a boat tour whenever we're traveling anywhere in the Mediterranean but it's usually a group boat tour.

Considering this was my Husband's 50th birthday celebration, I thought it best to book a private experience for just the two of us. Now, after having experienced it...I can officially recommend to anyone that hasn't yet done it to try a private boat tour at least once in your life.

I'm still open to participating in group boat tours, but that private boat tour is LIFE!!! And, definitely an experience I'd love to experience again.

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VILLA IGIEA

After our boat tour we headed back to our hotel and continued our rest and relaxation theme by sitting poolside for a few hours. We fully immersed ourselves into indulging in the beautiful landscaping views of our hotel property and just really took the time to appreciate everything about our time in Sicily.

But what truly made our visit to Sicily the absolute most special was our stay at Villa Igiea. Much earlier, I expressed how the beautiful visuals on Villa Igiea's website mesmerized me and drew me in. However, being on the property in real life...taking in every ounce of Sicilian beauty Villa Igiea had to offer far exceeded our expectations.

The gardens alone on the property are so stunning, I officially dubbed Villa Igiea as the Garden Eden of Palermo. There was simply beauty and wonder at every turn. During our stay in Amalfi Coast back in 2022, our hotel property was aligned with fragrant lemon trees all throughout its gardens. Villa Igiea is aligned with beautiful orange trees that are even more beautiful at night when the garden lights shine on them.

Yet, the real and forever best part of Villa Igiea is without a doubt its world class, hospitable staff. Charlie and I were already very familiar with how amazing staff are at Rocco Forte Hotel properties. I'm not sure if we even thought it could get any better than Hotel De La Ville in Rome. But dare I say, the staff at Villa Igiea was equally as amazing if not better.

Charlie and I were truly treated like family. From the front desk staff, to the cleaning staff, the doorman and porters to our personal favorites in the restaurant staff. Each morning or evening we dined in the gorgeous Florio restaurant, the waiting staff welcomed and entertained us with not only delicious food but also with their love, charm and Sicilian hospitality.

They knew us by name and would literally be excited to see us each day and the feeling was very mutual. We'd be just as excited for another opportunity to fellowship with them. On our first night, the best table was reserved for us. We sat in the outdoor patio area at a table that provided the best view of the gardens, the pool and a great overview of the Palermo Coast out to the Mediterranean Sea.

Our table was also reaching distance to a nearby orange tree that provided an even more delightful view and overall amazing experience. We were told by the staff that our table was the special and favored table of Donna Franca, the hotel property's previous owner whose also highly revered in Palermo. It was the table Donna always sat at to take in all of the beautiful views of the property. Now mind you, Villa Igiea is so stunning that there really isn't a bad view from any table.

But it was so very kind and sweet that of all of the guests that checked into the hotel, the restaurant staff reserved the best table for me and my Husband. This further confirmed my belief that a five star hotel experience for me is not just about having the best spa, or the best robes or the best room. While I do want and appreciate all of those things, alongside of beautiful views, stellar hotel design in both interiors and exteriors, great architecture and just a stunning aesthetic with an amazing overall vibe...

All of that is beyond pheonomenal!!! And, again it's all wanted and needed in any luxury hotel my Husband and I reserve and pay for.

But ultimately for us, it always and will forever come down to how the hotel staff makes us feel the moment we arrive, to the moment we leave...and all of the moments in between.

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Villa Igiea and its staff made us feel not only like family but like VIP royalty every single moment of our stay. I'm sure our last name likely had something to do with that, lol. Nonetheless, they took such good care of us and I completely understand why they reign as the top luxury hotel property in Palermo.

In addition, I absolutely recommend Villa Igiea to anyone visiting Sicily anytime soon. Best believe it's where we'll continue to reserve a room anytime we're in Palermo. Like I said, they treated us like family and family will always come back home to Villa Igiea. 🤌🏽

 As much as I originally intended for my Husband's Big 50th Birthday Trip to be spent mostly or exclusively in Sicily, there was no way Charlie would not want us to also visit his favorite city in all of Italy. That city would be none other than Florence. Collectively, Florence is both of our favorite city. Individually, Florence runs a very close tie with Rome for me.

But I have to say Florence wins me over more and more with each and every visit. However, I think for my Husband it's Florence for him all the time because his mother's side of the family comes from different areas within the Tuscan region. So I think the maternal side of his heart has just always emotionally connected with Florence.

As such, with the last four days left on our agenda, we left Sicily behind and trekked off to the gorgeous and iconic region of Italy known as Tuscany. It is the region that houses the artistic, renaissance and capital city of Florence. And, also the region we hope will one day be home to our vacation property.

With each visit to Italy, we always try to make our trip itinerary a little different from the previous one to keep things interesting. We do this also to make sure we're experiencing something fresh and new each time. With so very much to see and do in Italy, even if visiting the same city multiple times...for us there's just no need to pay money to keep doing the same exact thing each and every time.

So with this now being our third trip to Italy and also our third visit to Florence, we branched out and explored some new areas in the Tuscan region we hadn't indulged in before, but were always interested in experiencing. Those areas included all of the following...

TOSCANA / TUSCANY 
•Florence

•Leccio
•San Gimignano

•Siena

•Pisa

•Modena  

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FLORENCE 

Our first day back on Florentine soil and grounds, I just remember happiness taking over me. Florence really just gets in your spirit. It's this compact, completely walkable Italian city that just makes one feel good. The energy, the art, the food, the sights, the views, the architecture, the markets, the shopping, the history, the luxury mixed in with antiquity...

It's all just so captivating!! And, it really just makes you not only happy but also energetic and simultaneously peaceful. And, I'd say you feel almost immediately grateful to be in the midst of all of that. One of our very first stops after we checked into Hotel Savoy was of course heading to the world famous Duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

The Duomo is so massive, the minute you set foot into the surrounding area and begin coming within view of it and then face to face with it...

it's almost indescribable what you feel.

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Because seeing a monument of that kind of stature just takes your breath away, each and every time. So considering our very first day back in the land of Florence was our free day to roam about...we did just that.

We reconnected with a city we both love immensely. A city we first visited back in 2012 for our honeymoon and later celebrated our ten year anniversary in 2022. When I tell ya'll the love my Husband and I have for Florence is real, believe me!!

We absolutely love being in Florence!!

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The next four days continued to add to an overall amazing time we had on our latest Italian trip, celebrating not only my Husband's 50th birthday, but also just celebrating and enjoying life. And, enjoying the sweet moments of life we get to experience like this.

LECCIO

We strolled the beautiful Bardini Gardens of Florence on a Sunday, which beautifully overlooks the city. From there, we took advantage of perusing through the Santo Spirito Market, which I fell in love with and bought a beautiful gold/brass greek key ring. We then headed out to the countryside of Tuscany in an area called Leccio where we finally for the very first time indulged in shopping at the famous luxury designer outlet called The Mall Firenze.

Ya'll this outlet is truly the designer outlet of all designer outlets!! I'd been hearing about The Mall Firenze for years and had been patiently waiting for the day I'd finally get a chance to experience it. Well, I finally did!! It's roughly about 35 to 40 minutes outside of the city center of Florence and nestled more in the beauty of the countryside and rolling heels of Tuscany.

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All of our past visits to Florence never allowed time for us to incorporate a day to head out to the outlet mall. But this particular trip, we made sure to include it in our itinerary.

You can either private taxi there for 100 euro each way, or you can go the more economical route and hop on the The Mall Firenze charter bus, via Busitalia from Piazzale Montelungo bus terminal meeting point. The bus transports tourists daily to and from the outlet for a roundtrip price of 15 euro per person.

The website for this excursion allows you to select the day and time for your pickup. It's perfect ground transportation for a group excursion or just for you and one other person. The Mall Firenze itself is composed of pretty much every luxury Italian brand and fashion house, including Gucci, Fendi, Ferragamo, Versace, Tod's, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Mason Margiela, Moschino, Valentino, Roberto Cavalli and more.

Many other high end European brands also have store fronts at the outlet, including Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Balenciaga, Burberry, Celine, Alexander McQueen and more.

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It's really a beautiful outlet comprised of not just luxury fashion houses, but also restaurants and cafes as well. One can spend a full day out there perusing from store to store taking in all of the sites, including the beauty of the surrounding countryside of Tuscany. But of course the best part is spending far less on luxury items at the outlet than what you would in America.

It's definitely an experience I highly recommend anyone visiting Florence to take advantage of at least once in one's life. Unless of course, luxury fashion shopping isn't your kind of thing.

But if it is...take advantage and indulge!!

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While our first two days in Florence had us mostly in the city (with the exception to our trip to The Mall Firenze) reconnecting with the Florentine life we love, visiting markets, indulging in good street food, walking and roaming about, stopping in local boutiques and stores and of course making time for Gelato...

 SIENA

Our third day took us much deeper into the countryside visiting several other Tuscan cities, which included a visit to the charming, medieval town of Siena. It's one of the oldest medieval cities in Tuscany that historically has done an amazing job of preserving its middle age look and appeal. This is largely in part due to the 1000 year old wall that surrounds the city center of Siena. The wall was built to protect and defend the city from enemies and invasions.

For years I'd heard and read how beautiful Siena is. I was so happy we finally got a chance to see and experience its beauty for ourselves.

In addition, we also got a chance to see its most popular square,

Piazza del Campo, which hosts its world famous Palio di Siena horserace that takes place twice yearly in the summer months.

The Palio horserace is not only legendary and grandeur but also the most important event that takes place in Siena. The event itself has become so world famous it's even inspired float designs here in New Orleans during our 2023 Mardi Gras Season.

To read all about what inspired the city of New Orleans to spotlight

Palio di Siena during our Carnival Season, click here.

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SAN GIMIGNANO

From Siena we made our way out to the picturesque wine farms of San Gimignano and delighted in the beauty of the Tuscan countryside I never grow tired of seeing. The rolling heels of Tuscany filled with scenic views and tall Italian cypress trees is the image that's often seen in books, post cards and in movies. Now twice in our lifetime, my Husband and I have had an opportunity to experience that scenery, taste its wine, savor its food and simply be amazed at how something can be so beautiful.

I think for my Husband and I it's pretty official that any trip to Italy will always include both a day out on the water and if possible a day to visit a wine farm. I mean, how can we not? It's Italy!!

PISA 

From the stunning views of San Gimignano, we then headed to see the leaning tower of Pisa, a bucket list item indeed now finally checked off. It's so obvious once you get into the main tourist area of Pisa why everyone is there, lol.

YEP!! To take our cheesy American photos in front of the tower itself.

I mean if it's not documented, were you even there?!?!

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MODENA

Our final day was the only day my Husband was not privy to knowing what awaited us. Or, rather what awaited him. It was his going out with a bang 50th Birthday Surprise. Earlier in this newsletter, I mentioned how my Husband is a sports car fanatic. Sports and super cars are indeed his thing and one of his favorite dream cars is Ferrari.

Ferrari is an Italian power-house both legendary and known for its F1 speed racing cars. My Husband knows the history of Ferrari like the back of his hand, so I thought it only fitting to surprise him with a visit out to Modena, Italy.

What's in Modena? Well, I'm so happy you asked. In Modena lies the Enzo Ferrari manufacturing campus and company, which includes the racing track where the F1 drivers practice, the Ferrari museum for visitors to tour and of course the huge compound itself where all Ferrari employees work and build these magnificent speed machines.

Modena is roughly two hours away from the city of Florence. So we took an early morning train to get there. My Husband was like a kid in a candy store the moment he finally realized and remembered what Modena, Italy is synonymous with. The entire time of our trip, I let him believe we'd be visiting the city of Bologna on our last day.

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But, nope...surprise!! We're going to Ferrari Baby!! And, what a surprise it was. Even for someone like me who's not at all into cars, it was an amazing experience. I think the best part for me personally was seeing my Husband so happy and excited to be on the campus, touring the grounds and in the museum going through the entire history of Ferrari.

Seeing all of the past and current models, the engines, the interiors, the exteriors, and the colors, (including the famous Ferrari red) was truly a sight to see. Reading about the philosophy of Ferrari all throughout the museum and seeing all of the accolades and trophies won from various years of racing competitions...

It made me so happy to see my Husband taking all of this in and experiencing this in his lifetime. I figured until we're able to buy him a Ferrari, a trip to Modena may just do the trick for now instead.

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HOTEL SAVOY

As our time in Sicily was made even more special because of our experience at Villa Igiea, our time in Florence this time around was made just as special due to our lodgings at Hotel Savoy.

Each visit to Florence we've now stayed at different properties each and every time. Santa Maria Novella was our first Florentine hotel experience back in 2012. Hotel Brunelleschi was our 2nd Florentine hotel experience just two years ago in 2022. And, now Hotel Savoy is our third.

Brunelleschi became one of our favorite Florentine hotel experiences. But due to our love for indulging in the Rocco Forte Hotel experience, we had a desire to see what the Hotel Savoy experience would be like and I'm so happy we finally did.

Savoy is in the very beating heart of the historic city center and located right in Piazza della Repubblica, which is a very popular public square known for its famous carousel ride.

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Although our previous hotels were walking distance to all of the popular sites and monuments, this was our very first time staying in a Florentine hotel directly in the heart of such a famous and popular square. It was a nice change of scenery and highly convenient, as restaurants, stores, boutiques, museums and historical sites were either right at our fingertips, or within a few walking blocks.

What I really loved and appreciated about Hotel Savoy was its colorful art deco styled interiors, paired alongside of Italian Renaissance art and sculptures...all with a nice touch and sprinkle of Pucci home decor.

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Staying in tradition with Rocco Forte Hotel properties legendary hospitality, staff at Hotel Savoy also made us feel warm and welcomed upon arrival.

Sadly we weren't able to get a complimentary suite upgrade as we're used to receiving from a Rocco Forte Hotel property. This was all due to them being sold out of suites, to which I wasn't surprised. The crowds were definitely beginning to grow in Florence already in mid May. In addition, Hotel Savoy is not only located in a highly popular area, but it's also a highly desired luxury Florentine hotel where many tourists and visitors opt to stay.

We were however complimentary upgraded to a larger room with more space and a wonderful view of Piazza della Repubblica. I absolutely loved opening our windows each morning to see the beauty of the square, the sunshine and the stillness of Florence before everyone hit the city streets.

Of course, I would've much preferred a suite as European hotel rooms in general can be small and tight. And, I mean in all seriousness...once you get a taste of the suite life, it's hard to scale back down. But to makeup for not being able to upgrade us to a suite, Hotel Savoy did surprise my Husband with birthday decor and celebrations in his room. It was honestly such a sweet and genuine surprise that we truly appreciated.

Our room was filled with complimentary champagne, cake, Italian pastries, fruits, chocolates and balloons. And, not just any balloon but two balloons in the numbers of 50.

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Eleven cities total, including our two host cities of Palermo and Florence over a week and a half span of time spent in Italy. Nine days on the ground and two travel days to and from. I'm so thankful that thus far, every Italian trip my Husband and I have experienced keeps getting better and better.

I genuinely feel like a different person whenever I'm in Italy. I feel more at ease, more relaxed and just overall joyful and happy. I feel like that in general whenever I'm traveling to an amazing destination, be it domestic or international. But, believe me when I tell you it's a completely different kind of joy I feel in Italy that I don't feel anywhere else.

Since my late teenage years…I’ve always dreamed of a life that would see me traveling as frequently as possible to my favorite travel destination in the world, Italy. I’ve loved Italy long before I ever set foot on its soil. I loved it even more the moment I finally did.

While there are so many other countries on me and my Husband's collective bucket list that we have plans on visiting...

Our hearts and minds remain fixated on continuing to indulge and explore all things La Dolce Vita in as many Italian regions God allows us to see in our lifetime.

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What We’re Up To

Usually, whenever I return home from an amazing trip...especially another amazing trip to Italy, I tend to suffer post vacation or post trip blues. Thankfully, this time I didn't really have that experience as much. And, if I did it was very short lived.

I mean of course like most, I'd much rather spend my days traveling and frolicking about in another country somewhere rather than dealing with the adult life of work, projects and responsibilities. But in truth, our adult work life and responsibilities is what allows us to experience such amazing travel excursions.

Also, I'll be right back in Italy next year hosting my first group trip to Florence in May 2025. And, I just found out I may possibly be heading to Rome at the end of the year to participate in a work/training tour with EF Go Ahead Tours, the company I'm partnered with for my group trip.

So yeah, post vacation blues at this point aren't even necessary. Because ya girl will be right back in Italy not once but twice!!

Travel has always been a very big part of my life since a young girl traveling with my family on family excursions and vacations, traveling with my church on religious retreats and then traveling even more and further out as I got older in my teenage and early adult years. Traveling abroad has become a bigger part of my life in the last decade and I only see it getting bigger and evolving more and more with each year I'm blessed to be on this earth.

As such, my travel partnership with EF Go Ahead Tours means so very much to me as I work to implement hosting and curating amazing international group trips into my brand. And, not only implement them but have each one be highly successful. Also, my group trips are and will be extremely intentional with the sole purpose of allowing as many of you as possible to travel and explore life, culture and design inspiration with me abroad.

So although I wasn't expecting at all to be right back in Italy before the end of this calendar year, I'm also super excited to grow in my partnership with EF Go Ahead Tours and if growing in my partnership with them takes me to Rome, the first Italian city I ever fell in love with...

Well, to that I say...

Roma Me, Per Favore e Grazie!!

Rome Me, Please and Thank You!!

Aside from travel, I recently released a most sincere and very intimate "Thank You" video on the Allured By Design® YouTube Channel. The video is a most heart-felt expression of my gratitude to everyone that supported my journey of producing my first ever limited web series.

As many times as I've expressed my gratitude to everyone, there were several others I truly needed to spotlight for their love and support. So, it was only fitting to once more express my gratitude to everyone in the most personal and humble way. The video was released in early May right before I headed out to Sicily. If you missed it click here and here.

While I haven't been super active on my Instagram feed, please know that I'm around. Ya'll already know the algorithms annoy the crap out of me!! So I've been finding myself posting more on the Allured By Design® Facebook page. Or, just working on content that's better to share with you all in newsletter format. Nonetheless, I'm here.

Well, physically I'm here.

But with every visit to Italy, a piece of my heart is always left behind.

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If you're brand new to my blog or to my email list and would like access to content released prior to you joining the Allured By Design® family...

You can always head to the home page of my website and peruse about, where you'll find all of my video content. To head there, click here.

Also, if you'd like access to previously released newsletters from the beginning up until now, my links page on my website will grant you access to each one.

In addition, my links page will grant you access to press articles and my Vimeo and YouTube Channels. The Allured By Design® YouTube Channel is where you'll find all episodes of my limited web series, including behind the scenes footage and a recap video of my local premiere.

To access all of that content, click here.

For anyone not following me on my social platforms, I can't encourage you enough to do so. There is where you'll always find a host of seasonal home and lifestyle inspiration where I use my home,

#HousePiazza as my main portfolio, mixed in with select client projects.

On my social platforms, you'll also find additional photo stills from various shoots, reels and videos that aren't shared in my newsletters or blogposts. My handle is the same everywhere...

@alluredbydesign

Facebook + Instagram + Threads + TikTok + YouTube + Vimeo

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Also, if you're a novice Allured Love and not precisely sure what this brand of mine is all about.

Is she a Designer?

Is she a Filmmaker?

Is she a Creative?

Is she a Producer?

Is she a Writer?

Is she a Storyteller?

Is she a Travel & Luxury Lover?

Is she a Fashionista?

Allow me to clear up any ambiguity...

Allured By Design® is a Home & Lifestyle multimedia brand where Interior Design, Life, Luxury, Art, Culture, Travel, Fashion and Filmmaking and the exquisite art of creative storytelling all intersect and are all celebrated.

Here is where you'll always find me working to celebrate and share with each of you, all that I love and all that my brand represents. 

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In my 2022 Travel Edition Spring Newsletter, I left you all with a very powerful message that I believe still resonates today.

So I'll leave you all with it again...

Travel has a powerful tendency to teach, broaden, enlighten and influence our minds and perspectives by exposing us to so many new things, landscapes and overall experiences. Travel even has the power to uplift our spirits and put us in such a great mental space. An amazing trip or excursion is one that can completely alter our behavior and the way we think. I think what's even more profound is the fact that the inspiration from our travels can stay with us for a lifetime.

Whether this season or the next, whether domestic or international...

I hope many of you get out and about and travel. Whether it's by flight, train, boat, bus or car. Wherever you travel to, I truly hope the experience changes you for the better and ushers in a new way of thinking. May you enjoy each moment of the travel life, the sweet life. May you also observe while you're traveling and perhaps adopt something new from your travels into your current way of life.

As we all get ready for the energy, heat and excitement of Summer, may we also continue to enjoy the last of our Springtime days.

Travel Well My Allured Loves,

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Until next time...

⚜️Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler⚜️

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